latenight preview + samplers + microphone strange behaviour

[Sébastien BLAISOT]

Hi,

Using mixxx-1.12.0-beta1-1.12-git5409-release-x64.exe on Windows 7 SP1 (x64 windows + x64 Mixxx), with a 1280*800 screen resolution and the LateNight theme, using the "preview", "samplers" or "microphone" switches to show/hide corresponding interface sections sometimes have a strange behaviour.

Step to reproduce :
1. Launch Mixxx whith LateNight theme and maximize window (double click in window title bar)
2. click "samplers" (screen bottom) to show sampler section. sampler section show up (correct)
3. click "preview" on screen top. preview show up, but samplers disapear (bug).
4. click "microphone" on screen bottom. Microphone section show up (correct)
5. click "preview" on screen top. preview pane disapear (as expected), but also microphone section disapear and samplers apear (uh?)

This bug is not shown if I switch to full screen (F11) nor on another computer with a better screen resolution.

so probably this is related to screen height of 800 - window title bar - Windows task bar

When this happens, sampler/microphone/preview buttons always are of the correct color (black if not shown, yellow/lit if section shown. So this is not only a show/hide bug, but a state bug (must be show, must hide).

Attached is the log of the above desribed steps to reproduce.

[Sébastien BLAISOT (sblaisot)]

Mixxx Window height is 800-30 (Windows task bar) = 770 pixel
usefull size = 770 - 22 (window title bar) = 748 pixel

[Owen Williams (ywwg)]

This is intended behavior. At such a small screen size it's not possible to fit all of the elements on the screen at once, so you have to choose between them. Depending on what size you have to work with, you may be in a mode where you can only see one at a time, one at a time plus the library, or all at once.

[Owen Williams (ywwg)]

And then, as the window changes size, you may flip from one state to the other. Unfortunately right now there's no way to keep the selection of fx/samplers/mics in sync between the three modes. So I guess that part is a bug, although I don't think I can fix it for release

[Sébastien BLAISOT (sblaisot)]

ok, I understand the need to automatically hide some sections because of screen size, but I think there is a bug with the actual implementation.

step to reproduce :
1. Starting from a fresh install (deleted personnal Mixxx folder)
2. choose library folder and wait for library analysis to finish.
3. maximize Mixxx window (not full screen, just maximize)
3. hide effects, sampler and microphone. mixer is hidden, we are in 2-decks mode, no preview, no vinyl.
4. show sampler, then show preview => sampler hide
5. show mixer => sampler show for some millisecond then hide
6. show sampler => sampler shown, preview and mixer stay shown.
7. hide mixer => Taadaaa ! you have the same setup as #4 but preview and sampler shown at the same time.
8. hide preview, then hide samplers => You are in the same state (from user's point of vue) as #3
9. show sampler, then show preview => sampler and preview shown. Same path as #4 but different result => this is user confusing.

I'm not able to dig throughout the code, but I can do whatever test you need with that setup to help.

What is important to me is that, from user's point of vue, the same actions should produce the same effect.

regards,

sb

[Sébastien BLAISOT (sblaisot)]

I mean, if Mixxx decide that the screen is to small to show simultaneously section A and section B, you shouldn't have a situation where section A and section B are shown together.
Otherwise, this is a bug either in the code showing the two sections together (because they will strangle due to screen size), or in the code deciding that they can not be shown together (because in fact you CAN show them together).

[Sébastien BLAISOT (sblaisot)]

Another example :

I start with effect + sampler + microphone hidden

Show sampler -> sampler section shown. ok, expected behaviour.
Show Effects -> Effects section shown, sampler section hidden. ok, this is expected behaviour because of screen size.
Hide Effects -> Effects section hide, sampler section shown. ok, I hide effects, so there is size for sampler section again, so it is shown. I can understand. there is some logic behind.
Hide sampler -> I expected it just to hide sampler, but instead microphone section show up. I never requested microphone section, so why the hell is it shown ? from user's point of view, this is absolutely not understandable.

[Owen Williams (ywwg)]

https://github.com/mixxxdj/mixxx/pull/576

[Sébastien BLAISOT (sblaisot)]

Thanks,

I'll give a try as soon as there will be a build including that fix.

regards,

sb

[Owen Williams (ywwg)]

Give this a try:
http://downloads.mixxx.org/builds/1.12/release/mixxx-1.12.0-beta1-1.12-git5418-release-x64.exe

(We are doing a rolling beta so we'll replace the official download link with this version as well)

[Sébastien BLAISOT (sblaisot)]

OK, tried r5418.
profile directory erased before each test to begin with a fresh install.

display is 1280*800.
each time, I maximize Mixxx window (no window size change during a test).

Situation is much better :

- Test case of comment #7 is corrected. When I hide some section, it is no more replaced by another section not requested.

however :
- No change from the situation described in initial description of this bug (when hiding preview, microphone disappear and sampler appears :(
- No change from the situation described in comment #5. Still impossible to show preview + sampler without having shown mixer first, but no problem after you have shown + hidden mixer (unless you delete your profile folder)

[Owen Williams (ywwg)]

Ok here's another build. I resized the preview deck so it will never change the size of the library. That should fix the part where toggling preview causes a layout change.

http://downloads.mixxx.org/builds/1.12/release/mixxx-1.12.0-beta1-1.12-git5421-release-x64.exe

If you're having trouble showing all of the items, changing from 4 decks to 2 also frees up more space for the library.

The design alternative would be to have a mode where, if space is lacking, either the user can see the library or the user can see a combination of samplers/effects/mics, but not both.

[Sébastien BLAISOT (sblaisot)]

unfortunately, this is not better.
There is something wrong with this preview.

Here are some screenshot attached to show you the layout at this particular screen resolution

[Owen Williams (ywwg)]

I'll try to adjust the layout thresholds to reduce this issue. But given the limitations of the skin engine there is always going to be a point at which there is some ugly reflow and the panels toggle strangely. I'd recommend you pick one layout and stick with it rather than doing a lot of toggling :). I'll post another build with my final attempt.

[Sébastien BLAISOT (sblaisot)]

ok, thanks.
Just to be clear, my purpose is not to continuously change layout during a gig, just that first impression with mixxx on 1.12 could be confusing for users, leading them to the impression that this is unpolished software you can't rely on for prefessional use without looking any further, which we all know is not true.

maybe if you set a minimum height on the section holding the mixxx logo big enough to show the preview pane without resizing it, or show by default the preview pane, this shouldn't be so disturbing for users.

probably it would also be better to have mixer section shown at first launch (it is hidden by default, but hey, how can you DJ without mixer ?) and effects and microphone hidden (they use a lot of screen size). Actually, showing on first lauch sampler + effects + microphone lead to a cinfusing interface with a very tiny library.

first launch with an empty profile show a layout that is not really usable at this (small) resolution. We should not forget that not everybody has a full HD LCD panel on his laptop and there are a lot of (rather) old laptops with such a small resolution remaining. Recycling old laptop to a dedicated Mixxx DJ station is also a use case ;)

[Owen Williams (ywwg)]

http://downloads.mixxx.org/builds/1.12/release/mixxx-1.12.0-beta1-1.12-git5424-release-x64.exe

[Sébastien BLAISOT (sblaisot)]

Unfortunately, absolutely no change with r5424. same behaviour.

Maybe this will be better when we have mixer enabled at first launch https://bugs.launchpad.net/mixxx/+bug/1452261

sb

[Sébastien BLAISOT (sblaisot)]

Hi,

with r5426, the situation changed drastically with bug #1452261 resolved.

On first launch, mixer is now shown, so there is enough space for preview.
Microphone, effects and sampler sections are hidden by default, so showing them need an action from user.

there is still a stange behaviour. at first launch, mixer is now shown and sampler, effects and microphone sections are hidden.
If I click on Mixer to hide mixer section, mixer section hides, but at the same time the sampler, effects and microphone sections show up (all three at the same time).
This is probably not intended behaviour.

attached is a screenshot after the following steps :
1. launch mixxx with empty profile and select library folder
2. click "mixer" button to hide mixer section

sb

[Sébastien BLAISOT (sblaisot)]

sorry for the double comment due to a launchpad bug at the time of comment submit

[Owen Williams (ywwg)]

onNewSkinLoaded in mixxx.cpp uses the configkey to populate the menu item states, and the config key has not been saved yet so it defaults to on.

[Owen Williams (ywwg)]

This is some funkiness with regard to the skin creation changing the default values. I'll work on that.

[Owen Williams (ywwg)]

If you're able to build mixxx yourself, please try: https://github.com/mixxxdj/mixxx/pull/579

[Sébastien BLAISOT (sblaisot)]

Unfortunately, I don't have a build environment so I can not try.
I will have to wait until next build unless someone can provide me a compiled version.

sb

[Sébastien BLAISOT (sblaisot)]

I think we can consider it fixed now.

[Swiftb0y (swiftb0y)]

Mixxx now uses GitHub for bug tracking. This bug has been migrated to:
https://github.com/mixxxdj/mixxx/issues/8004